Lepromatous leprosy patients produce antibodies that recognise non-bilayer lipid arrangements containing mycolic acids

Non-bilayer phospholipid arrangements are three-dimensional structures that form when anionic phospholipids with an intermediate structure of the tubular hexagonal phase II are present in a bilayer of lipids. Antibodies that recognise these arrangements have been described in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome and/or systemic lupus erythematosus and in those with preeclampsia; these antibodies have also been documented in an experimental murine model of lupus, in which they are associated with immunopathology. Here, we demonstrate the presence of antibodies against non-bilayer phospholipid arrangements containing mycolic acids in the sera of lepromatous leprosy (LL) patients, but not those of healthy volunteers. The presence of antibodies that recognise these non-bilayer lipid arrangements may contribute to the hypergammaglobulinaemia observed in LL patients. We also found IgM and IgG anti-cardiolipin antibodies in 77% of the patients. This positive correlation between the anti-mycolic-non-bilayer arrangements and anti-cardiolipin antibodies suggests that both types of antibodies are produced by a common mechanism, as was demonstrated in the experimental murine model of lupus, in which there was a correlation between the anti-non-bilayer phospholipid arrangements and anti-cardiolipin antibodies. Antibodies to non-bilayer lipid arrangements may represent a previously unrecognised pathogenic mechanism in LL and the detection of these antibodies may be a tool for the early diagnosis of LL patients.

Comparative karyotypic analysis in the Alstroemeria hookeri Lodd. (Alstroemeriaceae) complex sensu Bayer (1987)

Alstroemeria L. (Alstroemeriaceae) is an American genus of monocots with two principal distribution centers in Chile and Brazil. In Chile, it is represented by about 32 species, most of them in central Chile, an area known for its high level of endemism. The "complex" Alstroemeria hookeri is endemic to Chile, where it is distributed from the Coquimbo to the Bío-Bío Region. We analyzed the karyotypes of 36 populations of this complex along its natural distribution. Ten metaphases per population were used for chromosome measurements. All analyzed subspecies presented a well defined asymmetric karyotype. The populations of A. hookeri subsp. hookeri collected in the coastal range of the Bío-Bío Region and the populations from the Central Valley of this Region (Pangal del Laja) presented striking morphological differences in the karyotype, mainly on chromosome 3. The population of A. hookeri subsp. recumbens from Pichicuy showed a polymorphism on chromosome 7, which differed from the other analyzed populations of this subspecies. Phenetic analysis suggested that A. hookeri subsp. cummingiana, which showed a more symmetrical karyotype and did not grow in sandy soil, should be alocated to A. cummingiana rather than considered as part of the hookeri complex.